Kasey
by starpollo
Summary: The fic is about Kara's daughter Kasey and unsolved issues between Kara&Lee.When the fic started the timeline was about week after 3x09 Unfinished Business scenes.AU Fic.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Kara woke up the sound of a cry, her daughter's cry. She checked the time and it was a little bit over 3 am. Kara cursed and sat up and pushed her feet out on right side of her bunk bed. She ran her hands through her short hair and got up, with one swift movement she put on her green pants. Then she quickly puts a grey tank top and black boots on, because she knew that it would take more than a few minutes to calm her daughter down and she would not want to freeze her ass because of that.

Now that she and Sam were not together any more and Adama had given her private room, it was up to her to take care of Kasey when Sam wasn't around. She lifts up her 17 months old daughter from her tiny bed and noticed how heavy she was already. She still could not believe that she was a mother now. When she looks down at her daughter she saw a reflection of herself. Kasey's soft hair was dark blond and her hands were clenched to fists, like a boxer. Like mother like daughter. Kasey wasn't hungry or wet, but she was still crying, so Kara decided to take a little walk with her daughter, because maybe it would calm down Casey and herself too.

**xxxxx**

Galactica's corridors were still lively even if it was already later than 3 am. The officers were looking tired while they were scanning their memos and walked to their destinations. It was good to be back, because Galactica was her home. Being away from Galactica for over one year had made her realize how much she really loved the ship and its routines and how much she had missed Galactica's crew...Helo, the old man, Lee...

Kasey was still crying and Kara was wondering what frak to do with her. She started walking towards the hangar deck and decided to show Kasey her viper, because the sight of her own Viper would always cool herself down no matter what.

**xxxxx**

The hangar deck was quiet at this time of night which was a good thing, because she did not want Kasey to start crying even louder. Kara walked to her Viper and she was amazed everytime when she saw her call name, Starbuck on her Viper's sides. She loved her viper and the feeling of it. Kara touched her viper with her left hand and ran her fingers over the familiar letters. She was so proud to be one of the Viper pilots and that she belonged to the fleet again. When she was in New Caprica, she had missed flying so much.

When Kasey born, she kept her busy many months and she hadn't had time to think of flying so much. Kasey's cry made her come back to the present. She looked at the crying child in her arms and finally told her:  
"Okay little girl, it's time for you to stop crying. Whatever you want, it's yours but please stop crying"  
"Having some troubles?" Kara turned and saw Lee standing close to her. Lee looked tired and he still had some bruises on his face from the boxing matches. She had punched him pretty hard a few times, but so had Lee, but her bruises had almost healed already.  
"Lee. I didn't hear you." Kara said   
"How could you, when that child of yours is crying so loud"  
"Yeah, well you should hear her when she is hungry or when she wants something badly"  
"Can I hold her?" asked Lee, which made Kara blink.  
"If you want to" Kara lifted Kasey and gave her to Lee. Lee took hold of Kasey and started singing a lullaby. The same one which he had heard his mother singing to his younger brother Zack, when he was a baby. Almost right away Kasey stopped crying and was charmed by Lee's presence. She stretched out her tiny hands, trying to grab Lee's face. Kara was amazed. She felt how her heart was beating faster and faster. Lee smiled at Kasey and said to Kara "I knew it that this would work" Kara didn't know what to say.  
Lee gave Kasey back to her mother and said "I must say that I don't see any Sam's features on Kasey. She is like you. She got blond hair like you and she is ready to punch anyone. I would not be surprised if she would start smoking cigars and drinking soon." Kara snorted and started walking away from Lee, then she suddenly said over her left shoulder, "Well how could you, when he's not the real father of Kasey." Kara left Lee standing alone with a shocked expression on his face...

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"_Well how could you, when he's not the real father of Kasey."_

He couldn't stop thinking what Kara had said to him last night. It had kept him awake for the rest of the night. Lee frowned and buried his face into his hands and cursed. He had been trying to do some paper work. Instead of thinking about what to do with 2 misbehaved vipers his mind kept wandering to New Caprica's ground-breaking ceremony over and over again.

Kara had drunk Anders under the table and he had passed out cold on the ground, which had given him opportunity to ask Kara about her plans for the future. He and Kara eventually had headed outside the city to a secluded field and they had ended up making love. He had promised to leave Dee for her and Kara had promised to leave Anders for him, but things hadn't quite worked the way he had wanted. He had fell asleep holding Kara in his arms and when he had woken up the next morning, Kara had not been there, where he had been expecting her to be - in his arms her with her body pressed to his.

Later that same morning he had heard from his father that Kara had married Anders, while he had been still sleeping on a field. He had married Dee for revenge and after only one year marriage he got already divorced from her again.

Lee had been pining after Kara throughout their whole marriage and Dee had noticed it of course. She had yelled at him that she hadn't wanted to be the substitute for the almighty Starbuck, so she had left him and that had been the end of their marriage. He got up from his couch, where had been sitting for hours and reached for his jacket. It was time to report to duty.

**xxxxx**

When he stepped into TheSituationRoom he noticed that Kara was already there with Kasey. He could see from her face that she hadn't slept so well either. His father was standing near her on a large electronic map table, which was used as planning and briefing centre for the development and execution of special operations under the control of a battlestar. Kasey had said something, which caused Kara and Adama grinning to each other. He had not seen his father smiling like that in ages. From time to time he felt a little bit of jealous, because Kara seems to be real close with Adama, at least closer than he ever had been to his own father.

While Kara had been on from Cylons occupated New Caprica, Adama had been very worried about her. Lee had seen him walking around Galactica's corridors late at night and heard him muttering "nothing but the rain".

But now that Kara was back like many other crew members, who had survived the occupation too, life had come back to Galactica and finally laughter filled the corridors again. Everybody tried to get back to their old routine so that it would be easier for them to forget the cruelties that had happened to all of them the past few months.

Lee knew that his father was happy because Galactica was becoming lively again and that finally Kara was here again to answer his "What da ya hear?"

"So you decided to join us" said Adama and turned his head towards his son.

"Yeah what took you so long Lee?" asked Kara devious smile on her face.

Kasey heard Lee's name and turned her heard towards him. She said cheerfully "eee" and stretched her tiny fists out towards him. Lee walked to the map table and he ended up standing side by side with Kara, which made Kasey struggling on Kara's lap even more. Kasey desperately wanted to go to Lee's lap and she had a new interest - his shiny dogtags. Kara sighed and gave her daughter to Lee, who took her and set her on his lap and smiled at Kasey. Kasey took hold of Lee's dogtags and started playing with them.

Lee raised his look from Kasey to his father and asked "So what's this is about. You said that this was urgent"

"I got a mission for you two" said Adama.

"What kind of mission?" asked Kara, who was still staring at Lee and her daughter with thoughtful expression on her face.

"There's been a sight of a Cylon ship and I want two to you check it out" said the old man.

"What kind of ship? A Cylon raider?" Lee wanted to know.

"That's what I want you two to find out. It's been following us for a while now. If it's a Cylon raider I want you to shoot it down!" Adama told them with a stern look.

**xxxxx**

Kara held Kasey tightly to her chest and inhaled the sweet baby smell deeply. She didn't want to leave her daughter, but she was a soldier and she had gotten her orders and she had to follow them even if that means that she had to leave Kasey.

Even if that means that she might never see her again.

She planted a quick kiss on Kasey's golden locks and finally knocked on door of the Tyrol family. Cally opened it with Nicholas on her arms.

"Hey Kara. Is everything okay?

"Hi Cally. I got a favour for you to ask. Can I come in?" Cally nodded and let her in to their small home.

"Can you babysit Kasey for a while? I need to go toaster shopping and I really can't look after Kasey while I'm doing it. I don't know who else to ask." Kara told her.

"Sure. She is such an angel and Nicholas would not mind about company. Isn't that right Nicholas?" asked Cally her little baby boy who was staring at her mother with his brown eyes and babbled to her something which Kara could not figure out.

Kara put Kasey on the bed and she crouched down and said to her "Mommy is going to go flying with Lee. I'll come back soon. Okay?"

"Flying with eee" said Kasey cheerfully and clapped her hands together. Kara smiled and thought that she wasn't the only one who Lee had charmed. Kara gave her daughter a kiss to her forehead and got up.

"Thanks Cally you're real a life saver!"

Cally smiled at her and said "Don't mention it, just go and have fun."

"You can count on that" said Kara and smiled.

But the smile faded as soon as she walked out of the door. A feeling of guilt washed over her. She really didn't want to leave her daughter behind. They hadn't been separated from each other since she had given birth to her. But the thought that Kasey would be part of the Tyrol family while she way away consoled her a bit, because she new that her daughter would be in good hands.

Kara started walking towards the Hangar Bay and a little smile found her way back and replaced the worried look that had been decorating her face not a moment ago, she was looking forward to fly with Lee again, he would take care that they both would return home safely...

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Lee was sitting in his Viper's cockpit. He was waiting for Kara with whom he would fly and track down the cylon raider which had been following the fleet for a while. His father, Admiral Adama had given him and Kara a mission – they would hunt down the raider and destroy it. It was the first raider which the fleet had seen since they had left New Caprica.

"You owe me two wings, Major" said Chief Tyrol who was doing his last minute checking Lee's Viper. "Sorry Chief, but it's been a while since we have had a change to shoot down any toasters and get the spare parts." Tyrol groaned and wiped his oily hands in to the rag which had been hanging from his orange coloured suit's right pocket. "If we don't get more spare parts soon, some of your pilots might not get the approval to fly at all..."

Lee spotted Kara who was chatting with Helo near the Hangar Deck's entrance. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he was pretty sure that it had something to do with the card game which Kara had won a few nights ago. Many of her fellow pilots and officers had lost in a card game against her and one of them had been Lee himself.

Helo's stake had been pack of rare cigars, which Kara was now waving in front of Helo's slightly disgruntled face, while a broad grin was decorating Kara's face. Then Helo said something to her and that made Kara laugh out loud and Helo joined her and Lee was hit by a bang of jealousy. Of course he knew that Kara and Helo were just good friends and nothing more, but even this knowledge didn't help to make the jealous feeling go away.

Kara gave a big grin to Helo before she started walking towards her Viper which was located right next to Lee's Viper.

Chief Tyrol was still complaining about the lack of spare parts and what could happen if they wouldn't get more metal. Lee had not heard half of what he had said, because he had been focusing on Kara and Helo.

Kara smiled to Tyrol and said to him, "Morning Chief!"

The Chief walked past her without greeting her. She heard him murmuring something like, "Frakking pilots!", before he vanished from the view.

"So what did you do to piss the Chief off? Broke one of his tools?" Kara asked Lee with devious smile on her face.

Lee chuckled and said, "He's just annoyed, because a few of the nuggets broke some wings on their training lesson earlier this week. He will get over it, when he'll get more spare parts. Speaking about the spare parts, are you ready?"

Kara stepped few stairs up to her viper and sat down to her cockpit, then she turned to him and said with a cheeky smile playing around her lips, "Definitely!"

**xxxxx**

They had been flying for hours, but they hadn't caught any sight of the enemy. They would run out of fuel in about half an hour, so they would have to head back to Galactica to get more Tylium.

Lee was starting wonder if the Cylon raider really exists. "So where do you think the raider is hiding...if there is one?", He wanted to know from Kara.

"I don't know, but we need to find it and shoot that son of bitch down before it will invite more of its friends. I know that the frakking toaster is hiding here somewhere!" Kara scanned her surroundings over and over again. It would be easy for the raider to hide here, because they were in the middle of an asteroid field. So they had not only to be on the lookout for the damn raider, which could attack them every second, but they had also to be very careful maneuvering their Vipers through the mass of broken asteroid pieces .

There was unknown planet near where Lee and Kara were flying, but Kara wasn't interested in it, all she wanted was to find the raider and destroy it. Whenever she killed a cylon either it would be a raider or one of the human models she felt that she would kill a piece of Leoben too, who was still haunting her in her dreams.

He had kept her and her daughter Kasey prisoner for months. Thank Gods that she had had Kasey with her. Without her she would have lost her mind. Leoben had tried to make her fall in love with him. She had been pretending and playing her part so well that in the end, that had had difficulties to distinguish the lies from the truth, until Anders had come and had saved her and Kasey.

She had sacrificed herself for her daughter Kasey, because she had been afraid that Leoben would have taken away her child, if she hadn't done what he wanted.

Kara heard Lee's voice inside of her helmet, "Kara. You okay? You're so awfully quiet." She could hear the worry in Lee's voice.

"I'm fine." Kara replied and slightly shook her head to ban the memory of Leoben and her time on New Caprica out of her head, at least for a little while, because she knew the pictures and feelings would come back to haunt her in her dreams.

She scanned the scenery again and suddenly she saw a flash of light ahead of her.

"Starbuck, did you just see that?" Lee asked and she could hear the excitement in his voice and a rush of adrenaline was pumped through her veins.

"Affirmative!" Kara replied and she heard the same excitement echoing in her voice.

Lee got behind and slightly above Kara's viper and watched the area as she flew towards the spot where we had seen the flash of light. Starbuck swung her ship to starboard just in time to get off a shot at a Cylon raider that had appeared from behind a chunk of asteroid. The ship had its port wing clipped and it spun out of control and impacted into an asteroid. A raider appeared and ran straight into Lee's fire exploding into a cloud of debris.

The front end of Kara's Viper then received heavy fire from another raider that was coming at her from above on her port side. Lee jerked his Viper around and opened fire. He managed to clip the Cylon enough to send it into a fatal uncontrolled spin. The ship impacted against an asteroid sending chunks of rock flying in all directions.

Then Lee heard Kara's alarmed voice and heard her yelling at him "Lee, I've been hit. Take care of Kas…" then the connection was broken and Kara's voice was gone.

"Karaaaaaaaaaa" Lee yelled and saw her Viper falling fast towards the unknown planet's atmosphere out of power and out of control…

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After shooting down the last cylon raider Lee rushed after Kara's falling viper, he tried to stay positive, but seeing Kara's viper spinning out of the control and dark smoke coming out of the front end of her viper didn't really help to increase his positive thoughts. She wasn't replying to his numerous calls which made him feel desperate. He had tried to contact Galactica many times now, but his messages didn't seem to go through.

Lee flew past dark stormy clouds towards the surface of the planet, where Kara's viper was falling down. The planet seemed to have quite a lot of vegetation, he quickly run a scan of the planet's atmosphere and let out a relieved sigh, there was enough oxygen on the planet, the air was breathable, at least they wouldn't have to suffocate down there. Lee increased his speed and got a little closer to Kara's viper again, but he knew that he wouldn't make it in time and so he just could sit and watch in terror as the viper of hers hit the ground and crashed there. "Karaaa!!!", he yelled once again and tears were forming in his eyes. He couldn't believe that this had happened after all they had been through, there was so much he had wanted to tell her, but he had never found the courage to do so and now it maybe was too late.

Lee landed his Viper with the trembling hands onto the steady ground and he couldn't help suppress the sobs that were escaping his mouth. He jumped out his viper's cockpit and almost fell flat on his face, when he landed to the ground. He felt how his cheeks were burning and tears were streaming down his cheeks as he started he ran towards the forest where Kara's Viper had crashed.

He was still wearing his helmet which made the running more difficult, but he kept running as fast as he could until he finally reached her viper. It was leaning on its right side and dark smoke was coming out of the front end of it. With unsteady steps he moved closer and closer. He felt how his heart missed few beats when he peeked to the cockpit and found it empty. It made me him take few steps back and stare at the viper with a sceptical expression on his face. Where was she? What if Kara had regained consciousness again, before the crash and ejected herself from the viper and parachuted to the surface?

Lee started to scan the surroundings and tried to suppress the slight feeling of panic. He wasn't prepared for losing Kara yet, he would never be prepared for that. He couldn't even imagine a life without her.

**xxxxx**

After searching for Kara for over hour, he still hadn't caught any signs of life of her. He had taken off his helmet and abandoned it to the ground near by Kara's destroyed vessel. Tired of running and searching, he sat down on the ground and leaned his back against a tree. Lee closed his eyes and sighed. He was tired and thirsty, but above all he was was desperate. Where could she be? He had searched the area well, but he hadn't found her. She had to be _somewhere_, he had already told himself repeatedly.

Lee finally opened his eyes again and looked up at the sky, then he shivered as the first icecold raindrops hit his face. "Storm...", he mumbled. Then his eyes focused something what was hanging from the tree not so far from him. First he thought that he was seeing things, but then he realized that he wasn't losing his frakking mind.

"Kara.", Lee whispered and forced himself back onto his feet again. As the rain began pattering softly onto the ground around him, Lee started running towards the tree where Kara was hanging from her parachute like a lifeless rag doll.

It took some time and effort to get her down from the tree, after he had climbed up the tree and after numerous tries he had finally managed to free herby unfasten the knotted parachute's strings from the tree's branches. Lee heard a crackling sound of thunder and it began to rain even heavier than before, he quickly kneeled down beside Kara's unconscious body and took her helmet off, then he checked her pulse. She was alive. Thank gods! Lee examined her fast, but he couldn't find any serious injuries apart from some scratches and bruises and she was still unconscious.

Lee took a deep breathe and lifted her off of the ground, then he looked down at her. "Oh Kara.", he whispered and kissed her forehead gently. It broke his heart to see her like this. Now he would have to try to find a safe and dry place for them to stay while the storm lasted.

While Lee had been searching for Kara, he'd seen a little cave not so far from the place where they were now. He took Kara in his arms and held her tight, then he started walking towards the cave. Lee heard another cracking sound of thunder which sounded to come closer to their location. At least their flight suits had kept him and Kara dry so far, but he wanted to get out of the rain as soon as possible.

After what seemed an eternity to him, they finally reached the small cave. "Thank the lords of Kobol!", he murmured. The cave was just large enough to sit or lay in comfortably without touching the sides.

Lee put down Kara near the cave's entrance and took out his blaster pistol from his holster which was strapped to his thigh. He quickly looked around the cave and found it empty and dry, then he moved Kara's unconscious body deeper in to the cave and lay down next to her. He looked at her for a long moment, before he wrapped his arms around her. He was here to look after her. To protect her. He pulled her closer and closed his eyes. Only for a second, thought, then he heard the sound of the thunder again and fell asleep, holding Kara tightly in his arms...

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Kara felt like hell when she woke. Every bone in her body ached and her head hurt so badly she could barely think. She would have bolted upright but her body was almost too sore to move. She tried to get a glimpse of her surroundings but her vision was blurred – everything was in shadows. Where the frak am I and how did I get here? She wondered.

She was lying on her back, cold, hard ground beneath her. She was glad of her flight suit but even still the cold chilled her to the bone. Her ears were ringing but she could still heat the light breathing of the person sleeping next to her. She was thankful – at least she wasn't alone, though all she could see was the bare outline of whoever it was.

She tried to remember what had happened to her before waking up here. The last conscious thought she had was of being shot down by a Cylon raider as she and Lee had fought and destroyed a number of them. She'd been spinning rapidly towards the planet's atmosphere and had been unable to stop herself, then everything had gone black.

She finally made out who it was beside her – Lee. He must have brought her here, wherever here was. She turned to look at him, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest and hearing his deep, even breathing. She felt herself go weak inside – he was everything to her, everything she'd ever loved and wanted. She closed her eyes, wishing the world would just freeze like this, the two of them lying together.

Sleep finally took her. 

**xxxxx**

When next she opened her eyes it was lighter. She could see now that they were inside a small cave. Her vision was clearing, the headache was better and curiosity was driving her to look around and find out more about where they were.

She glanced over at Lee, who was still sound asleep. She didn't want to leave him but she felt the need to explore. The need for a drink was becoming much more pronounced too, as her throat was very dry.

She crawled quietly over to the entrance, yawning and stretching as she rose. Sleeping on cold, hard rock hadn't made her body any less sore than the crash had.

The air was crisp, the trees moving gently in the breeze. There was a light rain falling. Kara didn't mind. She loved the smell and the feel of it on her skin relaxed her. She cupped her hands and captured some of the falling drops till her hands were full. She drank voraciously and repeated it three more times till she felt satisfied.

She wiped her mouth and allowed her eyes to wander over the scenery. She was in a forest. The leaves were differing shades of green, complementing the red and orange flowers surrounding them. She began to walk, leaving the cave behind. 

**xxxxx**

Crunch, crunch. A mixture of pine needles and dead leaves crunched under her shoes. She could feel the steady split splat of the rain as it fell between the trees and onto her head. She walked the forest for a long while, thinking about Kasey. She missed her daughter but was glad she'd left her in Cally's care – at least she'd be safe and not stranded here as she was.

The forest was dominated by plants and trees. She stepped lightly over rotten logs and skipped over dirty creeks. Brambles grabbed her flight suit, ripping it in places but she didn't care. She was desperate to find her Viper and see what kind of shape it was in – if they had a chance of returning to Galactica on their own or if they had to wait to be rescued.

It seemed as though she walked forever though she finally stumbled right into her Viper, crashed into a little hollow at the forest's edge. She could barely make out 'Starbuck' on the left side it was in such rough shape. Frak, she cursed under her breath and sighed. The Chief would have her head for this!

She looked around, hoping Lee's Viper would be nearby. It was. She was just taking the first step towards it when she saw two Raiders flying above. She quickly unholstered her blaster and took cover against the nearest tree. Her heartbeat grew rapid as she heard footsteps approach – someone or something was coming towards her. At first she could see nothing but eventually two Cylons came into view, heading towards Lee's crashed Viper.

"How many can you see?" she heard whispered from behind. She turned quickly to find Lee a few meters away, closing in quickly. How the frak had he managed to sneak up on her that way, she wondered. He too was armed and ready for combat.

His eyes were firmly fixed on her, not the enemy behind. She bit her lip as she studied him - the high cheekbones, the strong jaw and the fine hairs that stood out against his skin. He hadn't shaved in a while but she found his somewhat rough appearance attractive.

"I saw two Raiders just above me a minute ago and there are a couple of toasters near your ship," she replied quietly.

"Frak," he muttered, moving close enough that she could feel his breath. "Are they metal or skinjobs?" he asked.

Kara turned away and glanced at the Cylons. "Skinjobs. I can see the blond one, Number Six Baltar calls her, and … "she paused a second, "Leoben studying your Viper carefully. I wonder what they want with it?" She closed her eyes and cursed inwardly. She wasn't ready to face that monster Leoben again so soon. Her mind ran over the possibilities quickly. They could aim, pull the trigger and shoot those sons of bitches or they could pull back and hope they weren't seen as they retreated.

She took a deep breath, opened her eyes and turned her head back to face him. "So what's the plan?"

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

KASEY 6/?

"Let's pull back and return to the cave," Lee said, and started running back the way they'd come. Kara stayed put. She watched the Cylons through narrowed eyes, wondering what it was they wanted with Lee's Viper. She could feel rage bubbling up inside her, smoldering deep within her chest. She wanted to make him feel what she was feeling – she wanted to make that Cylon pay for what he'd done to her. Her hands balled up into fists as she gave them one last look and followed Lee back to the cave.

The ground was slippery. She stumbled on something and fell forward, feeling the branches tearing her flight suit sleeves and the ground scraping her bare elbows. She tried to rise but her legs didn't want to obey. She tried again, despite the protests of her muscles and managed to get to a sitting position. _What's with the weather?_ She wondered as she looked around_. It just keeps raining and raining_.

She missed Galactica. She even missed sickbay.

A hand appeared in front of her. "Need some help?" Lee asked, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. She drew her eyes up into slits, ready to shoot a sarcastic reply at him but instead she bit her lip.

"Yeah, thanks," she said, holding her hands out and allowing him to pull her to her feet. Their hands stayed locked. Blue. She stared into vividly blue eyes. By the Gods he was beautiful, there was no doubting that. She gasped softly and licked her lips. Suddenly Lee's mouth was on hers, his body pressed close. She barely had time to draw a breath before he was stealing it away from her. His few-day-old beard tickled her face as he kissed her. She moaned as her body shivered with unfulfilled need.

His neck felt strong and firm beneath her fingers, his chest hard and solid against hers. Why was this happening? She didn't know. Didn't care. Lee's tongue plunged repeatedly into her mouth, meeting hers and playing as his hands moved around her waist. She arched closer into him as he drew away finally, both gasping for air.

"We'd better get going before they catch us. The faster the better." He grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind him, to dumbstruck by what had just happened to even respond.

They continued running for some time, glancing back every once in a while to see if the Cylons were following them.

XXXXXXXX

"Is there anyone inside?" Caprica Six asked Leoben as he peered into the cockpit.

"It's empty. I'm sure they're around here somewhere." Leoben peered around, looking for an appropriate place to hide. There was lots of vegetation and another crashed Viper nearby.

"The other one's not far off. Let's take a look." He started walking without waiting for an answer. Caprica Six followed after a moment.

'Starbuck'

He could barely make out the name on the side. "Kara," he whispered, and peered inside, suddenly afraid of what he might find there. "It's empty as well," he said, relief evident in his voice. "Looks like it got hit pretty badly. She must have ejected and parachuted to the surface. The seat is missing." He smiled. Good, she was still alive.

Caprica Six looked up at the sky as drops of rain fell on her face. "Should we wait for the rain to stop before we continue tracking them?" She turned to face Leoben. "Let's set the patrol near Apollo's Viper and head back to inform the others of what we've found."

"Sounds like a plan," he said. He looked longing at Kara's Viper one last time before joining her on the way back to the reconnaissance drone.

XXXXXXXX

Lee and Kara finally reached the cave. They'd run in circles, trying to decoy the Cylons away in case they'd been followed without realizing it. The crawled deep inside and turned to face the entrance, both feeling the need to guard each other in case the Cylons should find them.

They sat still for a few moments, listening to the distant rumble of the thunder outside.

"I wonder what the skinjobs want this time?" Lee asked. Before Kara could answer she sneezed.

"Frak!" she swore. She was freezing cold, wet and shivering uncontrollably. She rubbed her arms constantly, trying to get warm but failing miserably. Suddenly she felt heat – Lee had taken her into his arms and pulled her against him. They fit together perfectly, his arm around her shoulder, her arm around his waist. They sat locked together in comfortable silence, not looking at one another.

Lee glanced over at her, wondering if now was a good time to ask the question he'd been wondering about since Kara had accidentally blurted out that Anders wasn't Kasey's father. He drew a deep breath.

"Kara, am I Kasey's father?"

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Kara glanced over her shoulder at Lee, wondering whether or not to tell him the truth. She'd imagined this moment many times but hadn't quite decided how she'd respond. She took a deep breath, deciding the truth was the best way to go. "Yes, you're her father," she replied quietly, praying it would work out the way she hoped.

Lee sighed, unsure if it was because he was relieved or disappointed. He tightened his grip around her waist. "I'm glad," he said, deciding to follow her lead and revealing truths he'd kept hidden from her. "I wanted to have children with Dee. We tried and tried and finally Dee became pregnant but it miscarried a month later. She was devastated and wasn't willing to try anymore. When she heard you were pregnant she exploded – saying it was all my fault and she wanted a divorce." He smiled weakly. "It didn't exactly end well."

"I'm sorry," Kara said softly.

Lee didn't answer, seemingly lost in thought, so she let him be. His eyes eventually focused on her again. "Will you tell me what happened after the Cylons left New Caprica?"

Kara nodded. "I thought I was sick with some stupid frakking flu bug or something. Either that or the toasters were trying to poison us. When I went to see Cottle to see what was wrong he told me I was pregnant. I thought it was a miracle. After what happened on Caprica I wasn't sure if I could have children at all.

We were really excited, particularly Sam. He couldn't wait to have a kid. I was a little less excited, especially since I turned into a whale! No one warned me I was going to get that big," she laughed. "Cottle was doing one of the monthly checkups when that frakker Leoben showed up and told me he'd kill Sam if I didn't go with him. I didn't have a choice – I went with him and the next thing I knew I was locked up, very pregnant and angry as hell while he watched every move I made, practically breathing down my neck day and night."

She glanced out at the pouring rain, finding comfort from it in some sort of sad way. Then she looked over at Lee again.

"When my labour started Leoben actually brought the Doc to me. You have no idea how surprised I was. The next few days were a blur, but the one thing I DO remember is being afraid they were going to take my baby away. Thankfully they didn't. Without Kasey I wouldn't have survived. I did everything I could to protect her – including pretending to care about Leoben and doing everything I could to make him happy. I always had the feeling that if he got angry with me he'd take her away and there was no frakking way I was going to allow that."

The expression on her face pained him. It was clear that 'doing everything she could to make him happy' hadn't made her happy. Perhaps she'd even slept with him? Thinking about it made him nauseous.

"Then my chance came. I saw Galactica and it's Vipers flying over New Caprica and I knew I could get away, out of the hell we were living in." Kara closed her eyes and rest her chin on Lee's shoulder.

He let her be a few moments before speaking again. "What happened next?" he whispered in her ear.

She pulled back to stare at his blue eyes, shining even in the darkness of the cave. "That frakker took her from me. He told me he wanted me to come with him and Kasey to the Basestar. That he could keep us safe there and we'd be a family. I said yes so I didn't lose her," she explained simply, hoping Lee would understand. "He believed me and gave her back to me. That's when Sam burst in and shot him. We returned to Galactica and everything seemed fine for a while till Sam noticed that Kasey didn't really resemble him at all. He began to wonder if he was her father or not, so I told him the truth. He couldn't deal with it, and since we were already drifting apart he went ahead and signed the divorce papers."

Lee glanced out towards the rain, still pouring heavily. He wondered where the Cylons were and if they were still out there. If they were, they were absolutely silent. Daylight was fading and soon it would be night. "I wonder if the Cylons are still looking for us or if they've given up."

Thunder roared and lightning flashed, lighting up the sky as the rain continued it's relentless falling. "One thing is certain, no one should be out in this weather," Kara said, pulling out of Lee's arms and laying down on the ground. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply before she continued. "Can you take the first watch? I need to rest my eyes and the rain makes me so frakking sleepy …" Her eyes were still tightly shut as she trailed off.

Before Lee could answer she was fast asleep.

XXX

The rain had finally stopped, though drops were still falling from the treetops. Kara had slept for hours while Lee kept watch, hearing her deep, even breathing over the sound of the rain. He'd heard her murmuring in her sleep 'I'll protect you Kasey.' He liked watching her sleep – it was the only time she truly looked peaceful and happy. His watch was over but she needed sleep more than he did so he left her alone.

"Lee, please don't go," he heard her whisper quietly in her dreams.

He lay down beside her and wrapped her in his arms. "I'm here Kara. Right beside you." Lee felt her body relax at the sound of his voice and she edged closer to him. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be." He brushed the hair off her forehead and kissed her.

She opened her eyes, shining green in the shadows, and he felt lost as he stared into them. "I love you Lee." She closed them again and settled back down against his chest.

Lee stared at her blonde head for a second before replying. "I love you too Kara."

Their lips met in a soft kiss.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Lee's lips touched Kara's lightly, tentatively, waiting to see what her response would be. He pulled back and caught her gaze, silently asking if she was sure. She nodded. She put arms around him, pulling him closer. A moan of relief shuddered through him as he was finally able to let go of all the pent-up feelings he'd had to hold back for so long. He unzipped and pulled her flight suit off, his nails scraping against her skin as he tore her tank top and pants off. Kara fumbled with Lee's flight suit, fingers clumsy as the heat of his desperation caught her. He pushed his flight suit down quickly and flung it off.

Kara grabbed the glittering chain holding his dogtags and pulled him closer. Lee's lips came back to hers immediately. She moaned hoarsely. His hands ran over her naked body, grabbing her hips, her waist, her breasts ... resting on her thighs. He wanted to touch all of her.

"Lee, please," she pleaded, and moaned when he slid inside her. "Oh Gods, Lee." His eyes stayed locked with hers, then his blue eyes clouded over. His focus wavered and his body shuddered convulsively. He gave a low panting moan, then slowed, face burrowing Kara's collarbone. He moved inside her slowly, growing harder with each thrust. Their dog tags clinked together, filling the cave's air with a soft, metallic chiming sound.

"I love you, Kara. I love you so much."

She could definitely get used to this. It wasn't some fling or one night stand - she loved him and he loved her just as much.

Kara rolled over on top of him. She wapped her legs around his hips then rose into air, picking up the pace again. Lee tilted his face back, closing his eyes and feeling the cool night air on his face. The climax came slow, each wave passing through her with divine singularity. She felt his climax come equally slowly.

Lee put his arms up and pulled her down onto his chest. She pressed her face into his neck, lips slipping over his scruffy, rough jaw and tucked her head under his chin. For a long time, they didn't move or speak. She lay comfortably, listening to his heartbeat and waiting for the dreaded moment when reality would return. Kara felt him swallow, knew words were coming. They weren't what she expected.

"Do you have any energy bars left?" he asked. He had eaten his days ago, but he knew Kara always carried extra just in case.

"Yeah I think so," she replied. She felt her stomach growl pleadingly along with his.

She fumbled around in the dark to find her flight suit and belt. She found two bars in the pocket, keeping one for herself and offering the other to him. She tucked her head back under his chin as she ate, feeling the hunger disappearing. It would keep her satisfied a while longer.

"Done," Lee said softly as he crumpled up the wrapper.

"I'm done with mine as well but I'm not done with you tonight, " she said, and climbed on top of him again.

xxx

When Kara woke the next morning, she was lying alone on the ground. She scrambled to sit up and looked around for Lee. The last thing she remembered was them curling up and falling asleep together.. She put out her hand and touched the spot beside of her where he'd been. As she glanced around the empty cave, a sudden fear shot through her. Lee wouldn't leave her like this would he? It wasn't his style to leave without saying anything. She looked around and was just about to grab her underwear when a sprinkle of cold water hit her head. She jumped to find Lee standing over her, grinning widely. Water dripped from his hands and glistered on his naked body.

"Looking for me?" he asked.

"I thought the Cylons had captured you."

"You looked very worried."

"I was. Gods knows what those frakking skinjobs want," she said, relief evident on her face.

Lee smiled and knelt, pushing Kara back down onto ground and kissing her. She kissed back, wapping her legs around his, then jerking back as her feet touched his - ice cold and wet. "What the frak were you up to while I was sleeping?"she snapped, making Lee grin.

"I was checking the pond nearby. I thought that we might go for a swim. The water isn't that cold but it definitely wakes you up," Lee advised with a mischievous smile. He ran his hand through his wet hair, succeeding in making it stick out in four different directions. "I didn't see any skinjobs, so I think the route is clear."

"Let's have a race! Last one there gets thrown in?" Kara pretended to think it over then she jumped to her feet and took off. Five seconds too late, she realized she 'd picked the wrong route.

"Frak!" she cursed. She raced into the clearing beside the pond, seeing Lee standing on the north bank, grinning. His teeth were very white and symmetrical and his smile was irresistible.

"Lost your way, Captain?"

"Negative, Major," Kara snorted and limped over to him, dragging her right foot.

"Frakking plants," she muttered. "I think I twisted my ankle." Her legs had some scratches and bruises from the crash. She thought he'd figure out that she was shamming but no, Lee Adama was still an easy mark. She waited till he knelt down and looked closely at her ankle and then she pushed him into the water. Joyful laughter filled the air as she jumped after him.

xxx

After the swim, they made love on the edge of the pond, leaving them looking like they'd been mud wrestling. Wasn't too far from the truth. Lee washed Kara's muddy back afterwards, noticing she was enjoying the feel of his hands on her body. It made him smile. Not that he hadn't enjoyed feeling her hands on _him_ either.

He leaned closer and whispered into her ear. "Isn't it shame that we don't have mud baths on Galactica?" He knew that would make her laugh and he loved hearing her laughter. So free ... so full of life.

She laughed. "Yeah I would _love _to see Tigh covered in mud. I'd definitely pay someone a few cubits to take a picture of him and then I'd stick the picture to the rota board." That made her laugh even louder and even strait-laced Lee had to admit it was a pretty funny thought.

Kara leaned her back against Lee's muscular chin. He wapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. This is what he wanted, what he needed. _Nearness. To be close to Kara_, he thought. He needed her as much as she needed him.

Lee kissed her hair. "I never thought I could be this happy," he murmured. "I never thought my prayers would be answered. We are destined to be together, you and I." He paused a moment, trying to collect his scattered thoughts. "What I'm trying to say is, Kara will you...uh, marry me?"

Before Kara could say anything, reality hit her suddenly as a Cylon Raider flew above them, passing throught the sky...

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

ON THE PLANET  
"Frak," Lee muttered under his breath. The Cylon Raider's appearance interrupted him just when he'd popped the most important question of his life! The matter would have to wait now and he would just have to ask Kara to marry him later on at a better time ... if they managed to survive and get off the planet alive.

Kara got up from the pond in the blink of an eye, or at least that is how it looked to Lee. He followed her under a tree near the pond's edge and they stood there side by side, shivering to keep themselves warm. He glanced over at Kara and saw her staring up into the sky, a concerned expression on her face. He could barely make out her voice though he saw her lips move.

"I knew this was a bad idea. It would have been too good to be true for the frakkers to have left us alone," she murmured. 

More Cylon Raiders were coming - looking for something. Probably them.  
Lee sighed. "We'd better get the frak out of here or we're screwed," he said. 

Kara nodded and started running towards the cave. Lee peered into the sky one last time before running after her. He fervently hoped that they hadn't been seen. 

**XXX**

Kara had already donned her underwear and was reaching for her ragged flightsuit when Lee arrived back at the cave. He grabbed his underwear bundle from the cave's floor and began to dress, facing away from her. His skin was still wet, but there wasn't time to dry – not that he had a towel with him anyway. They both dressed in silence. _At least it's stopped raining for a change,_ Lee thought._ It's been raining on this frakking planet ever since we arrived. _

Kara broke the silence. "So, do you have a plan?"  
Lee rubbed his beardy chin and thought for a while. "We could go back to my Viper and try to get the radio working - send a message to Galactica."  
"It will have to do, because I don't have a better idea," Kara sighed. She paused and continued. "If the radio isn't working or the Cylons are jamming the connection you could try to fly back to Galactica."  
Lee frowned. He didn't like the idea of leaving Kara alone but she was right, they were going to need help. With Kara's Viper crashed and in pieces she had no way to get off the planet. When he looked at her she had a mischievous grin on her face.

"Well,_ you_ could always stay here and let me fly your Viper to get help. I am the best pilot after all … "  
"…who crashed her Viper few days ago, " Lee continued, smiling at Kara.  
"It wasn't my fault that the frakking toaster decided to take a swing at me and shoot me down," Kara pouted.  
Lee chuckled. "Okay, then, let's go."

**XXX**

CYLON BASESTAR  
After hearing the news that the Centurions had not seen any sign of Kara Thrace and Lee Adama, Leoben growled and began to pace the control room like a caged lion, back and forth, round and round. Eventually he stopped. "Where the frak they can be?" he yelled. He slammed his fists into the data stream board - the gelatine bled and the control board sparked. He had never felt such rage.  
Number Six and Number Eight – known as Caprica Six and Boomer, stood near the data stream board and watched his burst of anger and glanced each other. Neither spoke a word. They knew it was smarter to let him vent his rage and cool down without interference.

Leoben was usually the calm and reasonable one, but when it came to Kara Thrace he seemed to be ... heated and anxious. Kara Thrace was like a drug for him. He was hooked, tied to her in so many ways he could not picture them all. She was his drug, his obsession. There was no turning back now. He closed his eyes and cursed under his breath, then took few deep breaths and opened his eyes, turning his head to look at Six and Eight, who were staring at him with worried looks on their faces. 

Leoben smiled and it was a chilling sight. "Kara has been through a lot recently," he said sweetly. "Let her rest today and tomorrow we can go find her _first thing._"

**XXX**

ON THE PLANET  
The trip to the clearing where Lee's Viper was felt like it took forever. They hid behind a big tree and glanced at each other. Lee peered out from behind the tree and saw three Centurions guarding his Viper. "I can see three toasters grouped near my Viper. We are so frakked." He pulled back and leaned on the three, closing his eyes and cursing under his breath. 

Kara peered out the other side of the tree and saw the Centurions flanking the ship. "How about I decoy them away while you try to contact Galactica?" At Lee's concerned look she went on. "My legs are fine apart from the scratches, so if I have to run it won't be a problem. Besides, I still have my gun - I think I can handle a few of the frakkers."

Lee didn't like the idea, but agreed they didn't have any other choice. "Just be careful, okay?" He cupped her chin in his hand and kissed her tenderly as one arm slid around her waist. She nodded, kissing him softly back.  
"I love you, Lee," she whispered, burying one hand in his hair and resting her head on his chest. He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Love you too, Kara." They stood there for a long moment, just holding each other tightly, giving and taking support from one another.  
Kara pulled away and took off, looking at Lee over her shoulder. "Wish me luck".

He watched her sprint quietly away from him, pulling her gun from the holster. Lee unbuttoned his own holster and put his hand on his weapon and waited, knowing it wouldn't take long for her to lead them away.

Kara sprinted away from Lee, regretting she'd ever come up with such a foolhardy plan. It was likely to get her killed and both of them knew it. She peeked over her shoulder and saw Lee waiting for her to make her move. _This is it, now or never_. Kara stepped behind the tree and yelled as loud as she could. "Hey tin cans, wanna play some hide and seek? Catch me if you can". She turned on her heel and sprinted as fast as her tired, cold legs could carry her away from the edge of forest, pushing aside branches as she made her way through the forest. All three Centurions followed her.  
**  
TBC**


End file.
